I walked into the Dome of The International Conference Centre at a little past nine. I was still panting after the brisk walk I had taken and was surprised to find out that the show hadn’t started. I was late right? Yes I was indeed but the show was not to start till over an hour later. Typical.
As I sat in my ‘stolen’ seat, I looked around me and could feel the excitement in the crowd. Friends and family had gathered to cheer on their favourite contestants, each one hopeful that their favourite would be crowned Miss Malaika 2010. I looked across the stage and could not help but smile. I was deeply impressed with the stage set up. Precision and immense attention to detail had gone into this.
Finally, at exactly ten minutes past 10pm, after shifting and sighing restlessly in my seat, the show started – with a colourful and breathtaking choreography from the ten Miss Malaika ladies who had been escorted into the Dome grounds in carriages. A scintillating kaleidoscopic Egyptian group dance performance later and Chris Attoh took the stage and introduced his co MC, Naa Ashorkor Mensah.
I watched a video of the impressive achievements of 19 year old Gezelle, Miss Malaika 2009 as she run us through what she had been up to in the past few months during her reign. Not bad. I thought to myself.
Ghanaian trio, Praye, took the stage next and really put the crowd in party mood, stirring the excitement even further by dishing out favourite tunes from their popular collection. Personally, I loved their white sailor look. It was no surprise that the crowd loved them. They did good at what they know to do best.
Nana Yaa – Delegate number 1. She impressed me. Why? Because she did the all too famous catwalk stumble but carried on unflustered. If she was, she didn’t show it at all. The true mark of a well groomed lady. Ruky took the platform next to talk about abortion and then came Berla. Berla blew me away. After her speech, I was convinced that she was going to be the ultimate winner. I was enormously impressed with the young lady’s eloquence. Public speaking is not an easy feat. Even for some of us who have had the opportunity to try it many times, we still fumble sometimes and panic ever so slightly in front of a camera, let alone speaking to millions of people live on national TV. Her impactful presentation was perfect. There was another delegate who impressed me with her well thought through presentation on the need to deal with the issue of leprosy in Ghana. She explained that as part of activities for the pageant, she had paid a visit to the leprosarium and had since really gotten to understand and appreciate what people living with the disease had to go through on a daily basis. She’d won my heart. Her name was Ama.
Then came one of my favourite segments – The talent segment. From dancing to drawing to poetry, they exhibited their talents or what they perceived to be their talents. I have a talent too. I thought to myself. I’ve been told I’m a good writer but how would I exhibit such a talent? Hmm. Not everyone’s got talent, as was obvious after this segment, but certainly there were a few impressive ones.
Nigeria’s Banky, also known as Mr. Capable took the stage next and did a good job at entertaining the crowd. I must say the confidence these Nigerian artistes exhibit on stage will not cease to amaze me. Such admirable energy. It was difficult not to move to their performance somehow. Same could be said of VIP’s performance which came a bit later. Electrifying. As usual, they had the crowd singing and dancing with them.
Next: The first emotional moment of intense uncertainty. The first eviction. Five of the lovely ladies had to leave the competition whiles the most impressive five stayed. At that point, I think it was obvious who was staying and who wasn’t and this was confirmed within minutes. No surprises as the girls were eventually separated from the women.
Part 2: The crunch point.
The moment of truth had arrived. Were these lovely ladies really worth their salt when it came to eloquence and intelligent discussions?
“Who is an African and what makes you an African? Is it your country of birth or the colour of your skin? Please give details.”
For me, sitting in the crowd and under no pressure from live television, this seemed the simplest question ever. Surely, it couldn’t be that hard? Stephanie was first to answer the question and did a fantastic job at it in my opinion. If I had to rate the first three in order of the highest scoring to the lowest, I would have said Stephanie first, followed by Ama, followed by Berla.
So why didn’t Stephanie Mensah, the 20-year-old Economics student of the Central University College take home the crown? She’d already won in two categories. She’d answered her question immaculately. She’d delivered a good speech.
To be sincere, I was taken aback when nineteen-year-old Ama Nettey was adjudged Miss Malaika Ghana 2010. The University of Ghana Geology student, in the eyes of the judges, deserved the coveted crown of Miss Malaika Ghana 2010. And then it hit me. Stephanie, answered her question very well. Yes she did. But one after the other as the other ladies answered their questions and did a not so good job, she’d been quickly forgotten about! When Ama finally took the hot seat and answered her question, the way she did, the audience erupted into an excited frenzy. Why? Because her answer was a relief after some of the answers that had come prior to hers. The others before her had made her seem like the most intelligent in the pack. Was it therefore to be Ama or Stephanie. The results must have been close but what did it for Ama was her position in the firing line. Simple as that.
What else failed Stephanie? So far (I stand to be corrected on this one) I don’t think anyone who has displayed the talent of drawing has won the Miss Malaika crown. I say congratulations to Ama. Comparatively, she certainly did a great job. I think she’ll make a good Charity Icon regardless. And oh! Thumbs up to my favourite girl Berla.